Skip the color! ADD TEXTURE INSTEAD. You clearly don't LOVE color, so why gag it down?

FIRST A RUG!!!!

Big enough please!!!!! A chunky wool or indoor outdOor sisal texture

Chairs! linen or performance velvet

add pillows! to the couch

Try a HIDE for that ottoman!!! super easy wipe off cleaning

add a furry throw

Dont forget some art

As to the arrangement? Skip the doo dads, butt the cabinets together at the desk end for craft/sewing supplies, basket ALL of those

Draw the space.......measure it. don't like the arrangement : )

Can you explain what you mean by this statement? "It's a cool zone so I was planning on warm brown tones."

I'm not sure I'd add large brown upholstered elements with your charcoal sofa because the result risks looking like a muddy mismatch. Don't get me wrong, the colours go together, it's just that such "similar" colours need "balancing" in a room. You're keeping the white bookcases white? So, your large elements are charcoal, white, black, brown/grey (floor) and the buttery cream of the walls. Warm tones I'd consider: ivory, oatmeal, camel, and the muted tones of the colours you mentioned for accents: gold, not yellow. Burnt red or rust, not clear red. Smoky blue, not clear blue, etc.

For the upholstered pieces, I'd be tempted to consider another charcoal but with touches of off-white in it. Stripes are a simple pattern.

Or something that mixes charcoal and cream but reads as "texture" or subtle stripes from afar.

What type of flooring is it? Will you be adding area rugs?

Here are two rooms with charcoal elements in them that read warm and cozy to me. Perhaps they can help with your colour palette inspiration.

I think the white cabinets dwarf the fireplace. Perhaps reconsider that arrangement?

Jan Moyer's idea for the cabinets is a good one. Out of curiosity, do these cabinets come in 3 pieces?

Bottom line, along with the placement of things? MORE THIS.........

SEE THE FEEL? ..........THERE IS TEXTURE

Hi everyone and thanks for you input!

@JAN MOYER - I actually do like colour though I tend to use it as an accent more than a main colour. (Accents are less expensive to replace!) I'd make the chairs red in a minute if I didn't already have a grey sofa and red chairs in my living room. Deep blue would be nice but it doesn't make me think 'warm and cozy'; it seems more formal and I wanted a relaxed space. Country farm house, cozy, warm, rustic, antique-ish....not sure how to describe. Eclectic? I have a lot of old items I want to repurpose.

Wouldn't beige and oatmeal tones sort of disappear against the walls? I suppose I could paint the walls a slightly darker yellow. Given how long and narrow it is with a barely 7ft ceiling, I didn't want to close in the space by using dark tones. I was quite surprised how going from drywall white to soft yellow impacted the visual size!

Here is a view from the other direction, in case that helps. Taupe wall going upstairs to the landing. Broom closet/storage under the stairs - no doors yet! Oh and there are doors on either side of the white cabinets (about 4 ft away) that lead to the storage /laundry half of the basement. Eventually either louvered or barn doors will be added - they have to be custom made due to the lower than normal height.

I like the idea of covering the ottoman with something more durable. I had reservations about cloth as I was thinking it could serve as table by the sofa when not in use. I could do a faux leather. Would you make it charcoal or black or ????

I'm planning on getting an area rug to help define the space with the sofa, chairs etc. I have pets so it needs to be fur and claw compatible material but will go looking once we're out of lockdown.

I love that highly textured pillow with the dark and light tones and tassles! I will look for something like that!

@tartanmeup - by cool zone I mean it's a basement. This half is insulated but the other half isn't so it's not as warm as upstairs - hence the little fireplace to take the damp chill off the room. I was thinking brown tones would be cozy and give the illusion of warmth? But maybe no?

The one room you posted with white shelves has a grey chair and brown sofa, but it seems you have reservations about putting the brown and charcoal together just as I do. If I'm spending all this money, I want it to look cohesive, not like I furnished it from a rummage sale - which I sort of am by making use of my parents old furniture!

Yes, the bookcases are staying white and no, they don't come in pieces even though it looks that way. They are anchored in place. I bought them specifically for that wall. My parents passed away quite unexpectedly and I have inherited lovely vases and dishes, old books, wooden shoes from Belgium, old cameras, some antique kitchen tools etc that I want to display (without having to dust!) They all have a story/family history behind them and I didn't want to just hide them away in a box. This is a small sampling - a mixture of fancy and practical. (And, in case you ask, I don't have space in the kitchen to display the more kitchen-related items.)

There is a small white cabinet with doors (about 3 ft high sort of like the IKEA one below) and an open white shelf (about 5 ft high) and at least one of them will go at the far end of the room for crafting supplies. I'm also debating about using an old cedar chest as a coffee table but it's a bit too high so I'm not sure if it will work. Oh and an old lazy-boy I could recover if I wanted to though it is in pretty rough shape. Sorry - I forgot to mention them!

The floor is a roll out vinyl. I had water seepage issues in 2019 and had to get an interior weeping system installed on half the basement. Then, this summer, about a week after the drywall was finished, there was a "once in a century" heavy rain and I had more water! No sewage thankfully but they had to cut off the bottom of the walls to dry everything out and, next spring, I'll be getting the exterior weeping cleaned out/replaced. If it wasn't for the fact I've been living in a construction zone for almost 2 years (with all the basement contents upstairs) and that I have to empty my parents house, I might have waited before progressing with this project to ensure everything is water tight. But I NEED to get things moving, both for my mental health and from a practical stand point. Hence, vinyl flooring and I'll be putting blocks of wood under the furniture and pallets under items in the storage area just in case there are water issues between now and the spring!

@Shawna - I was thinking a wooden shelf with a TV over the fireplace would help equalize or balance the cabinets? Sort of like the shelves were built ins (but they aren't) flanking a fireplace. I could buy a new electric fireplace with an actual mantle but I already had this one and thought it was cute and would help create a farmhouse feel.

Here is the floorplan I was thinking of - sorry, not exactly to scale

I GREATLY appreciate all of your input and time. I have a lot of ideas and items I'm trying to pull together but, after months of being positive I was going with browns, the colour now has me floundering! I never buy things without thinking them through carefully and the impulse buy of the charcoal sofa bed has screwed things up right royally! Just goes to prove I don't do impulsive very well!

Lining the walls with the furniture just makes the room look longer and narrower...try moving the couch closer to the fireplace adding two chairs beside the fire...try the cabinets at the end on each side of the craft table...using lower and sections for storage...a full size bulletin board on wall in between..try putting some lighting in the display sections of the display cabinets...by removing the backs

If the backs remove easily...remove them all and paint the wall behind on a pretty color or colors

Personally i would never use any brown in a basement...unless it was a tv room or a man’s den/ pool room for example

With this arrangement a lush rug to define the fireplace seating is a cozy addition to sit...read...relax...take a break...etc

Thanks for you input, @btydrvn.

I'll push and pull furniture around once I can get someone to help me. That sofa bed weighs a ton!

This was one of my original inspiration pictures. The browns and yellows look so cozy and cheery and warm! And I love the urn-like vase, the dark wood, the white trim...

I actually feel a bit teary having to give up on that brown even if it is my own fault. However, moving on, I need colours for those rockers that will go with charcoal.

Do I match the sofa as close as possible? The grey in the green circle matches the dark grey in the cushion. Or should I go lighter grey? Or do the oatmeal colours Jan suggested? I do worry about them fading into the walls plus they will show pet hair. I try to be realistic about how much cleaning I'm willing/able to do!

Your inspiration pic works with a charcoal sofa. Gold and yellows are lovely with charcoal!

My reticence with the brown upholstery was for a dark brown that looks like black. On my monitor, that means the fabric circled in green. In the inspo pic I shared, the sofa in the room with the wall shelves isn't brown in my books, it's "cognac". :) I think you should reserve brown for the wood furniture, not the upholstery. I love Jan's ideas for textured as opposed to print throw cushions, especially if you worry about tiring of a print.

I would get an estimate on re -upholstering those chairs...assess the quality and comfort...decide if the different sizes are ideal...and then make a judgement call if two new matching smaller chairs will be a better investment...if that area is Perfect...the rest will fall into place with what you have to work with...

Your inspiration pic is a perfect guide to follow...keeping in mind your space is smaller and more aimed at cozy than sophisticated...oddly enough the wall color is the same i have had in our homes for 30 years!.....never get tired of it....we have more natural light but the color is a happy mood setter...which is a good element in a basement

Your wall color is really reading white and not yellow on my screen. If that’s accurate, I don’t think you need to worry about adding yellow. Jan’s neutral, oatmeal colored suggestions look great to me.

@tartanmeup Cognac? That's a nice name for it!

Gold and charcoal - okay. Jan's textured throw pillows in soft yellows, creams and greys. An area rug in front of the sofa.

What about the ottoman? Charcoal faux leather? Soft grey?

@btydrvn - do you know the name of the colour of your walls? @Muriel Thompson - The colour I have now is considered 'linen white' and I could go a bit darker. I went lighter than I wanted because I worried about a darker colour making the space seem smaller/narrower.

re: chairs - the orange rocker was my grandmother's and the old green vinyl was the one my father rocked me in when I was a baby so both have sentimental meaning. They are both about 26" arm to arm and 36" tall at the back so hopefully not too big. I got a rough estimate of $300 CAD for each which is pretty good compared to buying new I think. That number could go up or down depending on the material I choose, of course. The teal lazy-boy...I'm only thinking of recovering it because Lazy-boys are really expensive. I don't know what getting it recovered would cost though. It's just an old chair from my dad's man cave in his basemetn but nothing special about it

I’d cover the ottoman in a heavy fabric and consider draping with hide. I don’t enjoy faux leather. If you don’t dig/do leather, I think skipping the faux leather is best and just choose another material. I like using a tray on an ottoman when you want it to double as a table.

The turquoise/teal chair if professionally spruced up - could that be a start?

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Yes keep the couch, keep the cozy neutrals & yellow throw or art.

@everdebz - the teal could be an added pop of colour I suppose

@happyleg - a yellow throw - yes!

@Muriel Thompson - no real leather. So what colour would you go with for that ottoman?

Golden yellow,or off white,beige ottoman or match couch.

Here is a pic on my news letter

On continuing looking: white cases, black fireplace, greys....rug in-between neutral abstract - accessories that look good with white and dark, ideally.

Tip Printing Light Faux Fur Throw, Blue Turquoise, 50"x60" · More Info

Nourison Maxell 7'10" x 10'6" Flint Modern Indoor Area Rug · More Info

I'm sorry about your parents' passing.

I'd keep your lazyboy as is, and try accessories same hue but softer - like the set I posted maybe?

Tribute Jacinda Rustic Distressed Vintage Lattice 8x10 Area Rug, Multicolored · More Info

Pegboard [is it?] already painted, but houzz has photos with similar:

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@everdebz - the teal chair is REALLY worn out and needs to be recovered if I use it. I could keep it teal but not positive I want a whole chair in teal since it really veers from the original colour scheme. A couple teal cushions, a teal throw etc esp in the summer months. I like to make subtle changes for the seasons by changing small details.

The pegboard is painted white and backs just the one shelving unit I think it came from a store that was closing out! It's a good sturdy shelve that can hold weight and I hope to be able to put it to use with craft and sewing items.

(Also thank you for your kind words. It was very difficult losing both of them just days apart without warning. I think that is why I'm hanging on to so many of their things for now. Trying to keep them close!)

Unwittingly, your flooring became your dictator, it wasn't the sofa that began lousing up your "plan" . That is one very cold brown tone. It was never ":warm" . There's an expression: "Dance with the girl that bought you"

Bright colors, even rich plummy shades, seem to me to only HEIGHTEN the cold. Adding texture and tones, light and dark, with what you accidentally began, is soothing, warmer. Look again up above.

No I don't see blue. .......I really don't . Nor red, nor yellow.....nor orange unless burnt to a crisp.

What your space begs for is warmth, texture, variations on a neutral palette. jmho.I'm not for jamming square pegs in round holes: ) Think pebbles on a beach....and all their shades of neutral : )

You have a lot of ideas in this thread and a lot more swirling in your head, I imagine. I know how grief adds a particularly difficult component to home design plans. You have my condolences, btw.

I think that setting up the area as you want to use it will help you decide on your reupholstery choices. So, my advice to you is get the basement functionally set up and live in it for a couple of months with the furniture as is. You might have an easier time visualizing your options once you figure out how things "feel" to you in the space. Starting with an area rug might help set things in motion. I doubt you can go wrong with Jan's textured neutral palette plan. It doesn't offer the contrast your inspiration picture does though. How you feel drawn to each type of room is totally personal: it's your taste. Nothing more, nothing less. The trick is figuring out which one you prefer and want in the long term.

I know the feeling of wanting to get things DONE but I don't think you should rush yourself either. And by not rushing yourself, I don't mean falling into the overthinking trap because you're contemplating every scenario. :) I mean, setting aside things for a while while they percolate in the back of your mind. (Apologies if any of this doesn't apply or resonate. I'm sharing thoughts based on my experience. Fabric choice is not necessarily the most important element of furnishing a room with inherited pieces.)

I'm in Canada as well, btw. New furniture is expensive, regardless of quality. Imo, $300 to reupholster a good quality chair with sentimental value is a good deal. As you know, a new La-z-boy is over 1K with taxes. The sleeker options are over 2K. Once you have a reupholstery estimate for the teal recliner, you'll have an easier time deciding if it stays in your plans. Keep in mind the company is always improving the mechanism and fabric selection so depending on the age of the teal recliner, you might want to replace it with a new one if you're really in the market for a recliner.

Hth a bit. Best wishes with your plans. I'm sure you'll create a cozy family room for yourself.